Weekly Filet #198: Volcano Miners. And more.
New month, new guest curator in residence: I'm pleased to welcome John Burn-Murdoch, who will contribute one recommendation to each issue in March.
John Burn-Murdoch is a data journalist at the Financial Times in London. He has authored some of the best interactives on sports I've seen lately. My favourite piece of his is on speedy skyscraper lifts, though. You can follow John on Twitter, which you probably should.
1. The Men Who Mine Volcanoes (The Atlantic)
From the department of tougher jobs than ours: On the Indonesian island of East Java, these men work in the crater of an active volcano to harvest sulfur. To earn $11 a day, some of them make the four-hour hike to the crater and back twice a day, carrying down some 90 kilograms on their shoulders. Great story, quite literally breathtaking images.
2. White Water (The Slow Show)
Dreamy tunes, a dark, yet warm voice – ever since I first heard The Slow Show I've been waiting for them to release their debut album. It's out today, you can find it on Spotify and iTunes.
3. Fewer Women Run Big Companies Than Men Named John (The New York Times)
One of the more stunning facts I've come across lately: In major US companies, there are less female CEOs than CEOs named John (also less than CEOs named David, but who doesn't like Davids?).
4. AfricaMap (Harvard University)
A map to explore Africa's true diversity, the continent that is referred to as one thing more often than any other. While we're at it: Refresh your memory with this game I made in 2013: You Don't Know Africa.
5. American democracy is doomed (Vox.com)
An essay worth debating – especially in comparison with European democracies.
Recommended by John Burn-Murdoch: The East India Company: the original corporate raiders (The Guardian)
An excellent long-read from historian William Dalrymple, on how the East India Company used opportunism, violence and gross corruption to transform from six permanent staff working out of its owner's house to a behemoth corporation with a 260,000-strong private security force, whose head profited personally to the tune of £23m in today's money.